Everyone knows when you’re the slow player in your group. Even guys on tour get called out for it – Rickie Fowler’s been known to poke some fun at Jordan Spieth for taking too long. A lot of average golfers end up burning time on the green, looking at putts from all angles, grinding over three-footers. One thing everyone needs to understand is that spending a long time over a putt doesn’t make you more likely to make the putt. In fact, you can do more damage than good by looking at it for too long.

Fowler has a few tips on how to putt quickly, but also well.

1. Spend your time wisely.
You should never be surprised when it’s your turn on the green. Instead of waiting until then to start reading your putt, begin looking at your line while the other guys in your group are putting. That way when it’s your turn, you’re ready to roll. “After I replace my ball,” Rickie says, “I take about five seconds to confirm my read.”

2. Don’t waste time second-guessing yourself.
Rickie thinks that a lot of last-minute second-guessing has to do with speed. If you know what your normal speed is before you’re standing over the putt, you’ll never question it. “I play all putts as if the ball were going to roll two feet past,” Rickie says. “Find a speed you like and stick with it.”

3. Stay confident over the ball.
Putts look different when you’re standing over them than when you’re reading them from behind the ball. But don’t let it freak you out. “I make a practice stroke or two with my eyes focused on exactly where the ball is going to enter the cup,” Rickie says. “For example, a straight putt goes in at 6 o’clock, but a sharp left-to-right breaker might go in at 9 o’clock. I then work backward to match up the speed and line. This helps me settle once more on my read, quickly and with confidence.”

Choke Down On The Grip

This seems like an obvious mechanic, but choking down on the grip actually does a lot more than simply get your body closer to the ball to make a delicate stroke. Choking down also counterbalances the club, meaning added weight above the hands work to make it easier to make less than full shots without flipping the hands over too soon. Remember as you choke down: Don’t hunch your upper body. Choke down with your hands, and get your body lower by adding more flex in the knees, as opposed to hunching over.

CHERYL’S TIP…
“GET MORE POWER”
During the backswing minimize your hip and knee rotation to create resistance while you focus on a full shoulder rotation. This will maximize your torque in the load position enabling you to harness more power for the downswing.

Whether your tempo is fast or slow you must maintain an even keel in the pace. Slow-Fast or Fast-Slow when swinging the club will not allow for the optimum rhythm or tempo to create your best results. Find your niche and try and keep it smooth during the backswing and forward motion for more consistency.

CHERYL’S TIP…
When you are faced with
a chip shot take into
consideration how much
green you have to work
with. The rule of thumb
is the more green, the
less loft required for the
chip and run shot. When
there is little green to
work with take the more
lofted club to pitch the
ball and have it land
softer with minimal roll.
Play the percentages for
better results.

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Two-time winner Jim Furyk birdied two of his last four holes Friday in the Canadian Open to match the Royal Montreal record at 7-under 63 and tie Tim Petrovic atop the leaderboard.

The 44-year-old Furyk, the 2006 winner at Hamilton and 2007 champion at Angus Glen, matched Petrovic at 10-under 130 on the tree-line Blue Course.

”Winning any event is special,” Furyk said. ”I’ve had a lot of success (in Canada) and really a lot of support here. But we’re only at the halfway point.”

The 47-year-old Petrovic followed his opening 64 with a 66. He missed the cuts in his last five events.

”I have been hitting the ball really well for about the last three weeks,” Petrovic said. ”I’ve seen signs of some good rounds coming. Am I surprised? Maybe a little.”

Canada’s Graham DeLaet, playing in a threesome with Furyk and Matt Kuchar, was two strokes back along with Kyle Stanley. DeLaet, trying to become the first Canadian winner in the event in 60 years, also had a 63.

”They’re fun to play golf with,” Furyk said about DeLaet and Kuchar. ”We chatted a lot out there. And then to have everyone play well, you’re seeing birdie putts going in, it’s a lot of fun. And I think you can feed off that a little bit. Those guys are making birdies, you feel like putts are going in, it’s a good vibe.”

Stanley shot 67.

The 32-year-old DeLaet, winless on the PGA Tour, had nine birdies and two bogeys.

”I felt I was in control of my game all day, with a couple of little hiccups,” said DeLaet, from Weyburn, Saskatchewan. ”I mean, all three of us played great. I never saw so many putts rolling in. It was a lot of fun. We were feeding off each other. When you see putts rolling in from everywhere like it was in our group, you just feel like putting’s easy or something and you just start holing them.”

Furyk and DeLaet matched the course record set by David Morland and Scott Verplank in the second round of the 2001 Canadian Open. Verplank went on to win that week.

”To share a course record here is pretty special and to have two guys in one group do it is pretty amazing,” DeLaet said.

Furyk, coming off a fourth-place finish in the British Open, made four straight birdies on Nos. 11-14 on his opening nine on the rain-softened course and added birdies on Nos. 1, 6 and 8.

”The golf course is soft and receptive, and they have it set up where we can attack and fire at pins, so scores are going to be good,” Furyk said. ”It would be a totally different scenario if these greens were firm.”

CHERYL’S TIP…

Most miss hits in putts are a result of excess body motion during the putting stroke. Start with a solid foundation in your stance and keep your head, hips and legs dead still during the stroke. Activate the stroke through your shoulders while maintaining the triangle in your arms. Try listening for the ball to go in before looking up
to see the outcome.